Lighting equipment



April 6, 1943. v. L. vENDoPE LIGHTING EQUIPMENT Filed Sept. 25, 1942 Patented Apr. 6, 1943 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICEA LIGHTING EQUIPMENT Van L. Vendope, New York, N. Y.

Application September 25, 1942, Serial No. 459,631

Claims.

This invention relates to lighting equipment and is particularly illustrated in a portable type, having an elongated tubular lighting element, such as a fiuorescent lamp.

The lighting equipment here concerned, with finds particular use in industrial operations, wherein it is highly desirable to concentrate illumination on the work in progress or being repaired.

I have found that lighting equipment, according to my invention, is used with great advantage in the assembly operations encountered in the interior of the fuselage or hull of an airplane or ship, which can only be illuminated for the workers by a portable lamp brought relatively close to the Work.

Light rays emanating from portable lighting equipment heretofore used and sometimes referred to as trouble lamps were not directed solely to the more or less confined or restricted area in which the particular work is located but such lamps on the contrary equally illuminated all parts of the surrounding space.

As a result, it was necessary to place such a lamp in back of the worker at a distance therefrom with the result that the Working area Was not properly illuminated or otherwise to place the lamp in front of the operator directly at the working area, in which case the rays of light are also directed into the eyes of the operator making working difiicult, all of which was highly unsatisfactory.

My invention, here illustrated as applied to a portable elongated tubular source of lighting, such as a fluorescent light, contemplates the provision of a lamp housing comprising a transparent hood-like lamp guard or shield, in which a translucent or opaque shade is held for movement therein, so that it may be adjustably positioned thereon in conformity to the shape thereof to direct the light toward a selected area and away from other parts of the space in which the lighting source is located to thereby shield them from the light.

My invention contemplates the provision of a transparent safety guard or hood for a source of light and which is arranged and constructed so as to provide a light unobstructing guiding means for a preferably translucent shade so that the shade may be moved thereabout to be adjustably positioned to shield the light from selected parts of the space in which the source of light is located.

My invention has a still further industrial application. In the assembly of aircraft, for example, the Wiring for the different electrical parts, instruments and the like found therein comprises a relatively large number of separate individual wires or cables, which may be each differently colored in order to distinguish the Zell-11.4)

various electrical circuits to which they relate. My invention is particularly adaptable for use in tracing a particular wire or cable in its assembly. In the ordinary use of my lighting equipment, the substantially translucent shade is colored green in order that the light rays emanating from the light source in the direction of the operator are softened or shielded so that his eyes are not continuously subjected to and hurt by a blinding glare. It vvill be recognized that the light emanating from the lamp equipment passing through the substantially translucent shade will be colored according to the color of the shade, the light through a green shade, being greenish, which will serve to bring out in greater relief the distinguishing characteristic of a Wire or cable having a green covering. Similarly, a differently colored shade will bring out in greater relief wire having a correspondingly colored covering. g

Lighting equipment, according to my invention, may be equipped with a plurality of difierently colored shades and is so constructed and arranged that any shade may be readily and easily removed therefrom and a differently co1- ored shade quickly substituted for it, so that the lighting equipment is particularly useful in assembling the different Wiring circuits used in the construction of the aircraft or tracing themA in the event of required repair lor tracing them to determine faulty operation. v v

My invention, therefore, further contemplates a protective transparent guard or hood having means through which the preferably translucent shade may be easily inserted into the guard or hood and readily removed therefrom so that it may be changed to another shade having the color required.

Other objects and advantages ,of myv invention will be clear from the description` of an example thereof which follows and from the drawing relating thereto in which:v

Fig. 1 is an end View of an example of a lighting equipment according to my invention and showing the light shade in one position in the guard or hood relative thereto.

Fig. 2 is an end section of the guard or hood only, showing the light shade 'moved to another position therein.

Fig. 3 is an end section of the guard or hood only, showing the shade moved to still another position therein.

` outer member of the guard or hood being partially broken awayat one e'nd to disclose the shade and at the other end to disclose the inner member of the guard or hood; the lighting equipment being broken at the center thereof to condense the drawing.

Fig. is an end View of a modification of my invention.

Referring now to the drawing, I have illustrated therein, as an example of my invention, a portable lighting equipment which is provided with a means, such as the hooks l0 and l2, for securing, as by hanging or suspending thelighting equipment Wherever desired, as it is moved from place to place, for example,on a 1Z--bar 14, such as is conventionally Yfound in a-n airplane section, as it is being assembled. It Wiil be understood that any other means for hanging or -holding the portable lighting equipment may vbe used, the illustrated Vmeans having been found .by 4 me to ,be verysatisfactory in 4industrial roperations.

'Ifhc heekslllmay beremovablysecured tothe top .wall 6 ofthe casing V|8,i n which .theelectrical mechanism for V.the source .of light, such as ,theinorescent lamp .Ellis arranged,.as .by means Qf the wnellecknuts f2.2;and 24. the conventional electric circuit ,plug incable 26 extending from.

.described in any greater detail. It will be vfurther .understood .that, if desired, a plurality of lights may be carried on the casing. order'fto preventaccidental damage to the .source ,of light, here the .fluorescent lamp 20, yby

A.inadvertently striking it, I provide a .transparent .guard o r hood 34.

This guard or hood tvcomprises `the preferably relatively heavy rtransparent sheet-like outerA member `or sleeve 315 and the inner transparent member .or sleeve 38, which lmay Abe somewhat lighter in section than 4the outer member or The outer and inner Vsleeves, which Vare prefer- -ably formed from a sheet of suitable plastic are ,held in .position at [each yedge thereof -on the side .walls .40 andf42 of .the casing 1.8, as Yby means .of

sleeve 36. c

` the .clamping strips or .bars .44 and 46.

VThe clamping .strips .or rbars may be secured to side walls ofthe casing, Vas by means of the screws 4'8, the lower end o'f each strip or bar being bent over to form the somewhat resilient clamping abutment 50, which frictionally presses the corresponding edges of 'the sheetforming the sleeves against the corresponding `Side walls of the casing to hold the hood or guard in position.

The outer sleeve 36 at each end of the casing extends somewhat beyond the electrodes 36 atV each end ofthe housing to provide the lnecessary guard or shield completely enveloping them `and the source of light.

I have found that the sleeves may 'be very suitably made of any well-known `plastic material,

which may be resilently bent or rolled about itself to form inner and outersleeves having substantially vertical side walls 52 and 54 and a Vcurvilinear bottom wall 56.

.It will, of course, be understood, however, that when assembled it is spaced ,a slight distance from the outer sleeve 36 which encloses it to form the guiding means or track 58, in which the preferably translucent shade 60 operatively slides. This translucent shade 6D is colored as desired, for example, for ordinary use, green, and so that light rays though they pass through it, will be sufficiently subdued so that the eyes of an operator will not be subjected to a harmful glare, though it will be understood that the shade, if desired-may be opaque.

It will be recognized that since the hooded sleeve construction is open at each end 62 and 64, the shade60 may be easily and readily inserted or removed from the guiding means or track L58 vformed between the two sleeves so that differ- .ently colored shades may be easily and quickly finterchanged.

ln order Yto permit the shade tno-be easily removed from the guard or hood, I preferably'make it-of thesame length as the outer sleeve 36, so .that when itis `insertedand brought home in Vthe .guard or hood,.the ends `66 `and 68 of ,the shade vare in registration with the vends of the louter sleeve 36. To provide a space 1D or 12 at .which the shade 60 kmay be grasped for movement in re- .moval from .the guard or hood by the operator, at `eitherend thereof on the inside of -the -guard .or hood, I make the inner sleeve 38 of smaller dimension than the outer sleeve 36 so that the Kends 14 and 16 ofthe inner sleeve are-spacedinwardly from the corresponding ends 62-and 16d-of the outer sleeve to thereby provide the desired spaces .ID and 12, at which the shade Sil -is-accessible tothe operator.

`'The translucent shade .69 is ymade so that it I,n fiaygbe yeasily unitarily moved about `the circumference or perimeter of the hood or guard into any selected position therein in much the same manner asa roll-top desk -functions and is ,constructed and arranged or of amaterial so .that it will conform to the shape of the guard .or hood in any position assumed-by it inits path of travel inthe guard orhood.

The sheet constituting the shade 6l;is ofshorter length than the sheet constituting the guard or hood, preferably one half the length thereof so that the light rays will emanate 4from certain parts ofthe guard or vhood but Yshielded at other par-ts thereof.

I prefer to make the translucent shade .60 vof a suitable plastic material which is sufficiently resiliently bendable about itself to conform to the shape of the guard or hood as it is operatively moved therein. In this operation, such material has the characteristic of -resiliently frictionally `(to a slight extent) pressing against Athe outer sleeve, particularly as a result of the curvilinear `sha-pe of the guard or hood and the preferred dimensions by reasons of which, the shade at any position of its `travel is somewhat bent. The slight friction between the shade and the sleeves holds the shade in any position in the guard or hood into which it has been moved.

It -will now be Vrecognized that the translucent shade Ell 'may be moved in the hood or guard to assume the position illustrated in Fig. 1 where in the rays of light emanatingfrom the lamp are directed through the side wall 54 and those that issue through the side wall 52, Whereat the `operator may be located, are subdued by the shade so that the glare of the lighting source will not be directed into his eyes.

,If desired, the translucent shade may be moved in the track 58 to assume the position illustrated in Fig. 2 at the curvilinear bottom Wall 56 whereat the operator may for certain operations be positioned, the light rays then being directed through the side walls E2 and 54 and shielded from the operator. It will be further recognized that the operator may change his position and move the translucent shade Si) to the position in the hood or guard illustrated in Fig. 3, wherein the light rays will be directed through the side wall 52 and subdued at the side wall 5d.

It will be recognized that the hood or guard of my lighting equipment may be provided with guiding means other than that formed by the inner member 38 to hold the translucent shade against the member 36 as the shade is moved to any selected position in the guard or hood, such as strips of material at the ends or center of the guard or hood.

It will be also understood that the guard or hood may be open at parts other than its ends for the insertion into or removal from the guard or hood of a shade 60.

It will be further understood that the shade 63 if desired, may be made opaque so that no light rays can be passed through it or it may be provided with any selected color for the purposes above set forth.

Referring now to Fig. 5, I have schematically illustrated there means, other than the clamping bars or strips 44 and 46, by which a lamp guard, hood or shield 34 may be held on a housing or casing I8, in which the electrical parts are carried. This housing preferably comprises the inner uncovered case 80 and an outer cap or cover 82, which are preferably held together as by means of the nut 84 and the staybolt 86 extending between the bottom wall 83 of the inner case 80 and the top Wall 90 of the outer cap or cover 82.

The inner case 80 is preferably provided with the bevelled or turned over edge S2, which engages the sides of the outer cap or cover 82 and spaces them from the sides of the inner shell 80 to form the receiving side sleeves 94, in which the upper ends 96 of the hood, shield or guard 34 t, to be therein preferably frictionally held when the housing I8 is closed by the cover 82. To remove the hood 34, the cover may be loosened from the inner case suficiently to frictionally disengage the hood so that it can be slipped from the side sleeves between the sides of the inner case and outer cover.

It will, of course, be understood that, if desired, the sides of the outer cover E2, the inner case 80 and the ends 96 of the hood 34 may in addition be held together by one or more screws arranged therein at the sides.

While specific details have been herein shown and described and the invention exemplified by its application to a specific type of lighting equipment, the invention is not conned thereto as changes and alterations may be made without departing from the spirit thereof as dened in the appended claims.

I claim:

1'. In a lighting equipment for a light source, a housing for the light source, an enveloping transparent transversely elongated guard or hood for the light source and comprising an outer member and an inner member spaced therefrom to form a track therebetween around the light source, said hood being substantially U-shaped and open ended, the inner member being shorter than the outer member to space the .the shade therein and of length such that the ends of the shade are accessible from the inside of the hood or guard at a space between an end of the inner member and a corresponding end oi' an outer member.

2. In a lighting equipment for a source oi light, means for carrying the source of light, a U-shaped transversely elongated guard or hood extending from the said means and bent to envelop the source of light, said guard comprising a pair of sheet-like transparent members, separated to form a sleeve therebetween around the source of light and a light shade held for movement in the sleeve for selective slidable positioning thereof in the guard or hood along the periphery thereof relative to the source of light, said guard or hood being open ended and said shade being accessible to the grasp for selective positioning in the guard or hood and smaller in dimension along the periphery of' the guard or hood than the guard or hood.

3. In a lighting equipment for an elongated tubular source of light, means for carrying the light, an elongated hood for the light, said hood comprising spaced inner and outer transparent sheets extending from the said carrying means and bent about the light to form substantially a U-shaped light enveloping guard, means for removably holding the said sheets on the said carrying means and a light shade held for slidable movement in the space between the sheets into any selected position therein, said shade along the periphery thereof being smaller than the guard so that light from the source is intercepted by the shade only at some portions of the guard along the periphery thereof in whatever position to which the shade is moved.

4. In a lighting equipment for an elongated tubular source of light, a substantially U-shaped transversely elongated transparent guard enveloping the source of light, said guard comprising two separated parallel walls having curved bottoms and a light shade comprising a sheet of colored translucent material arranged for slidable movement between the said parallel walls along the U and of size to cover only a portion of the U, said guard being open to permit the insertion and withdrawal of the shade into and from the guard.

5. In a lighting equipment for an elongated tubular source of light, a substantially U-shaped transversely elongated transparent guard enveloping the source of light, said guard comprising two separated parallel Walls having a curved bottom and a light shade comprising a sheet of light ray intercepting material arranged for slideable movement between the said parallel walls along the U and of size to cover only a portion of the U, said guard being open to permit the insertion and Withdrawal of the shade into and from the guard.

VAN L. VENDOPE. 

